Credit: Ali Sahib

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April 2022, LuxExpo The Box in Luxembourg-Kirchberg hosted the 101st and 102nd editions of the "International Dog Show", with all ten groups of pedigree dogs on show both days, with up to 30 breeds per group.

Many of the larger breeds were present, with a second edition of the event to be held at the same venue from 3-4 September 2022, with both acting as qualification events for Crufts 2023 in addition to this week-end offering the Lorraine-Luxembourg Champion. To illustrate the international nature of this event, entries were received from, and judges came from, countries including Finland, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland. France and Germany had the most dogs entered (both 574), followed by Belgium (267) and The Netherlands (159), with 2,062 dogs entered in total. Six dogs from Ukraine were entered.

Last year, the event walk held under COVID-19 restrictions; this year, there were no such restrictions in place. This, however, did not stop many people from wearing masks indoors and maintaining social distancing wherever possible.

Following an incident a few years ago at this event, the organisers are very vigilant about owners not leaving their dogs unattended in cars. To gain access, all dogs entered had to have their pet passports with them (or vaccination certificates for dogs arriving from outside the EU), identification papers and rabies vaccination papers, and were all inspected by vets upon arrival. Dogs brought by owners visiting the event also had to go through the same procedure to be allowed access.

Organised by the Fédération Cynologique Luxembourgeoise asbl (FCL), the event involved dozens of show rings where owners walked their dogs around, with winners then announced by the official judges for each breed / category, with the owners of winning dogs often allowing them to run, congratulating their pooches in delight; others were more reserved, but equally pleased.

The venue also hosted a number of commercial stands, offering dog food, grooming utensils, clothing and other accessories for sale. Outside, and around Kirchberg, owners could be seen driving their dogs to/from their hotels, with many walking them to give them exercise.